Destiny-chapter 2
by Arun
Summary: A battle is fought and a choice is made...


SMARTALECK PRODUCTIONS  
  
Destiny  
  
By arun  
  
  
Chapter#02   
  
This is a Ranma 1/2 - Sailor Moon crossover with certain  
aspects of Ramayana.  
  
Disclaimers:  
  
Ranma and the cast members of Ranma 1/2 are owned by Rumiko  
Takahashi and Shogukkan. Rumiko Takahashi is one of the most brilliant  
people to walk on the face of this earth. We the fans of the anime  
world are forever indebted to her for giving us Ranma and co. Thank you  
Rumiko Takahashi for bringing laughter back into our lives.  
  
Sailor Moon and its characters are owned by Naoko Takeuchi,  
Toei animation and KODANSHA.  
  
I do not own the characters of both these shows, nor do I  
even pretend to own them. This work of fiction is but a tribute to the  
above anime shows.  
  
Guys:  
  
!....* indicate thoughts. In the first and second chapters  
indicates Japanese and "..." indicates Chinese.  
  
In all the other chapters the reciprocal is true.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
"She is beautiful." said Ranma. Xas Min smiled at the compliment.  
Higashikaze was at the moment breast-feeding and Ranma was starring  
star struck at his child and her antics with er... the feeding  
instrument. He brought his forefinger to his daughters cheek and  
caressed it gently. He looked up at her mother and looked lovingly at  
her.  
  
"She looks just like you." he whispered. Taking Xas Min's  
head in his arms, he kissed her forehead. "I love you."  
  
"I love you too." Xas Min whispered back.  
  
Little Higashi gurgled and snuggled closer to her mothers  
warm body. Ranma just shook his head in wonder.  
  
"I have got to go now and take my classes. I be back when I  
done."  
  
"Be back as soon as you can." said Xas Min as he left the  
room with a parting kiss to his wife and child.  
  
Outside the house...  
  
"So, Son-in-law, how is my great great great grandchild  
coming along." asked Xiao poggoing towards him on her staff.  
  
"She is doing just fine." replied Ranma. He paused for a  
moment and looked at his _mother_. He had started calling her and Pher  
Fom mother after he had married Xas Min. She understood his need for a  
mother as he had never had one and did not object to the title.  
"Mother, may I... I want to speak with you in private."  
  
Xiao Lui nodded. She had an idea of what he wanted to talk  
to her about. "Come with me then. I think that my little east wind can  
wait a little longer."  
  
She led to her house and seated him on a wooden chair.  
  
"What is bothering you son-in-law?"  
  
"I... I realized just yesterday that I am a father. I don't  
know if I am ready for that role and...", he paused.  
  
The nearly four hundred year old matriarch laughed. "What  
happened to your confidence, son-in-law?"  
  
"I... It is not easy for me, mother, to ask for help." he  
paused wanting her to understand that he did not want to be teased.  
"There is so much for me to do and think about now that I am a father.  
I do not know whether I am upto the job."  
  
Xiao Lui frowned. This was a facet of Ranma she had never  
seen before. The Ranma she knew did not _fear_ even the mightiest of  
enemies. This new Ranma was the socially insecure one who had grown  
through his childhood without friends. As a member of the royal family  
he was respected and obeyed but had no friends except his brother.  
  
"You will do fine, son-in-law. I saw the way you looked at  
my newest granddaughter when you first saw her. I saw the love and the  
care in your eyes. It is enough to make all the difference."  
  
Ranma rose. "Thank you mother, for your words of wisdom. I  
feel much better now."  
  
Xiao Lui smiled. The old Ranma had returned. "Won't you  
stay and have some tea, son-in-law?"  
  
Ranma shook his head. "No, mother, I do not have the time.  
As it stands I am a good half an hour late for my beginners class."  
Ranma had begun to take beginners class soon after he had married. He  
said that he wanted to spend more time with his wife and the elders had  
agreed. Spending time with his wife was okay with them, they too wanted  
a progeny from their union to enhance the gene pool. He still taught  
several warriors advanced ki techniques once or twice a week though the  
classes lasted more than three or four hours at a stretch. He chose his  
own students and with the elder's approval was grooming them for seats  
in the council. Xiao Lui still was his best student and the matriarch  
had learned some of the more complex techniques in his arsenal.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Xiao Lui proved to be right. Ranma turned out to a doting  
parent who loved his daughter very much. He, Xas Min and little  
Higashikaze turned out to be the most popular family in the village.  
Ranma would skip classes just so that he could play and cuddle with his  
daughter. Sometimes, he would take her to the mountains and show her  
around while soaring across the treetops. Higashi loved these sessions  
and everytime Ranma came home from his classes she would pester him for  
the piggy-ride.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Inside the Phoenix mountain...  
  
Pei Pei commander of the Phoenix forces and a concubine of  
the God-king Saffron snuggled closer to her majesty. They had just  
spent two hours 'discussing' the feasibility of their plan to attack  
the Amazons and the Musk and bring the entire valley under Phoenix  
control.  
  
The thoughts of the battle plans had taken a less priority  
after Saffron had invited her to his bedroom to continue the  
'discussion' in private.  
  
"My lord..." Pei Pei murmured dreamily.  
  
Saffron raised his eyebrow. What would be more important  
than the 'discussion' they were having?  
  
"I am sure that we can defeat the Amazons but the attack  
must be executed in secret. We cannot have them prepare for our attack.  
If they had prepared than the chances of our victory are not so...  
Ohhhh!"  
  
Apparently annoyed with her interruption Saffron had  
decided to continue the 'discussion', which she had so rudely  
interrupted.  
  
Pei Pei cursed herself. Tactics and strategies needed to be  
discussed with her Lord but the 'things' he was proposing in their  
'discussion' were so wonderful. She had never before felt so good in  
her life. *I will wait until this discussion is over and then we can  
continue with the war strategy.* "Ohhhhhh God!" moaned Pei Pei once  
more as her Lord proceeded to the next step of their very private  
'discussion'. She would wait for another time when he wasn't so busy so  
that they may discuss the plans in detail.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
People who knew Pei Fao said he was the shrewdest and most  
successful businessman in the entire Amazon nation. He loved his wife  
and kids but to him his business always took priority over these petty  
concerns. He certainly was one of the richest men in the village and  
perhaps in the entire world. His business dealings extended everywhere  
beyond the boundaries of the Amazon nation. His contacts in Tibet and  
India provided the spice and salts that were important for the survival  
of the Amazon nation.  
  
If anyone in the village wanted something that couldnot be  
obtained within the Amazon nation they would go to Pei Fao and he would  
arrange it for them. The commission he charged for these special cases  
where very high but people came to him because he made sure that they  
got what they wanted and his goods had good quality.  
  
He did not have extensive training in martial arts and even  
a ten-year-old in the village could have easily taken him on. However,  
his status in the village and in the lands that surrounded it  
guaranteed that he was one of the most powerful people in the village.  
The matriarch of his family, Kho Om had spotted the boys unwillingness  
to fight and the exceptional skill he demonstrated in business.  
Therefore, she had apprenticed him to one of the village's premier  
businesswoman. Pei Fao had started his own business after he had learnt  
everything he could and then had promptly run all the other businesses  
in the village to the ground.  
  
By the time he was nearing his thirties he had amassed  
quite a fortune by himself and married one of the most promising  
warriors in the village. The marriage was not a match made in heaven as  
proven by the frequent disputes between the both of them.  
  
Like all businessmen, he had enemies and he plotted  
endlessly to bring about their death or destruction. The topmost  
candidate in the list was the village sweetheart Xas Min and her  
husband Ranma. His son Goe Su had been the only joy and pride in his  
life outside his business and that bitch had destroyed it. She had made  
certain that his precious son could never father a child in his life.  
He still fumed at the thought of what she had done to his son. Goe Su  
had followed his father's example and had become quite the bully like  
his father in the outside world. However, not everyone is cowed down by  
huge body's and Goe Su had lost that essential psychological advantage  
on that fateful day. Consequently, he had lost quite easily to the  
healer bitch that day.  
  
On this particular evening, he stood outside the village  
waiting for a special parcel that he had ordered from one of his  
contacts in India. The parcel contained an undetectable poison that  
would kill whoever ingested it slowly. *The bitch will pay for what she  
did to my son.* These were the dark thoughts that ran through Pei Fao's  
mind.  
  
There was a slight commotion in the bushes to his left.  
Thinking that his parcel had arrived Pei Fao walked towards the bush  
whistling to himself. He gave the signal for the messenger to come out  
but none did.  
  
Pei Fao's shrewd brain realized that something was wrong.  
He went a little into the bush and found a badly mangled Amazon warrior  
clinging to her life. He hollered for help and carried the woman into  
the village. The village buzzed with activity as warriors ran hither  
and thither and prepared to defend the village against an attack.  
  
Inside Pher Fom's house, the elders interrogated the dying  
warrior. The elder's had recognized the woman as a member of an outpost  
that stood in the border between the Amazons and the Phoenix lands.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
The Phoenix warriors discussed amongst themselves. They had  
been ordered by the second in command, Mascara to chase and kill the  
few Amazonian scum before they reached the village. They had succeeded  
in killing all but one of them. The last one had burnt her own hands to  
seal her blood vessels and had successfully eluded them for a whole  
day. Just when they had been about to catch up with her some man had  
rescued her and sealed their fates. They knew the punishment for  
failure. They would be skinned alive and impaled on stakes if Pei Pei  
felt lenient towards them.  
  
"We cannot tell the commander, You know that any failure on  
our part will lead to execution." murmured the Phoenix in command of  
the chase.  
  
His colleagues nodded. They in addition, did not want to  
suffer such horrible punishments and die so young.  
  
"Very well, then, we will tell Mascara that we have killed  
the Amazonian scum of a warrior." spat the commanding officer. Their  
little discussion finished the three Phoenix took to the sky.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
"Tell me child, who attacked the outpost?" asked Xiao Lui  
for the tenth time. The escaped Amazon was delirious and her wounds  
were gangrenous. She would not live for more than a few hours.  
  
The warrior was too lost in her own nightmares to answer  
the question.  
  
Slap!  
  
Slap!  
  
"I repeat again child, tell me who attacked the outpost?"  
asked the matriarch. Xiao Lui knew that it was cruel and inhuman to hit  
the dying woman. However, it had too be done if they were to have any  
chance of winning the war that was about to erupt. She knew that it was  
the Phoenix but without the woman's testimony, the elders as usual  
would debate for hours and they may not have that much time on their  
hands.  
  
The warriors delirious ranting did not diminish but they  
became more coherent.  
  
"No! do not die on me! I love youuuuuu and you promised  
that you wouldnot leave me." the warrior screamed, obviously she was  
reliving the death of her lover.  
  
The ranting kept on and on until her lover died, again, in  
her mind. The woman let out an anguished scream that echoed through the  
village. "I will have your head, Phoenix scum!!!!"  
  
The matriarch nodded. She had all the information she  
needed. She motioned Pher Fom to render the woman unconscious. They  
would not kill the woman out of pity. The tribes laws were very  
stringent on that one. Anyone who killed an Amazon would be subject to  
immediate banishment from the tribe followed by a death hunt. With a  
heavy heart, she asked one of the warriors to call Ranma.  
  
Presently, Ranma arrived dressed entirely in black. He knew  
that as the most proficient warrior in the village he would be chosen  
for the intelligence-gathering mission. As Ranma entered the council  
hall the bickering elders quieted and looked at him.  
  
"Ranma, we have a mission of the utmost importance for  
you." began Kho Om.  
  
Ranma remained silent.  
  
"We have discovered the identity of the attackers. They are  
the Phoenix." Ranma raised an eyebrow at the name. The elders have been  
receiving reports of Phoenix incursions into Amazon territories for the  
past seven or eight months. The Amazon nation had been preparing for a  
war for as long. He had suspected as much when he had first heard of  
the attack.  
  
"It seems that Saffron, has decided that he had waited long  
enough and is now pushing to extend the frontiers of his people. We  
have already sent the village's best runner to the Musk to inform them  
of the attack. We need intelligence on the strength of the Phoenix and  
since you are the most accomplished fighter in the village you have  
been chosen for the mission."  
  
Ranma bowed and left the room. Time was of the utmost  
importance if they were to win the war.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Ranma gently probed the area with his ki. There were two  
Phoenix warriors guarding the area. He could sense that they were both  
inexperienced and had very loosely focused ki. He shook his head in  
disapproval. It seemed that the Phoenix was not expecting incursions by  
the Amazons. *Oh well, it makes my job that much easier! He thought as  
he cloaked his ki and approached the two. Both were standing a little  
distance away from each other as though they disliked the idea of  
working together.  
  
Without a sound, Ranma dropped in front of the nearest one  
and pressed several pressure points on his head and shoulders. The move  
was executed at Amaguriken speed and the Phoenix warrior did not even  
open get over his surprise before all the voluntary muscles in his body  
froze up. One of the pressure points he had pressed also stole the  
guard's voice and it would be a matter of hours before all his muscles  
tightened so much that his bones would break. The other guard who had  
been looking away all along turned Ranma's way and Ranma was at his  
side in a flash. He paralyzed the guards voice box and then moved onto  
his voluntary muscles. One by one within a second, all the voluntary  
muscle groups froze and Ranma gently applied his fingers to the guards  
jugular vein until he lost consciousness. Having rendered the soldier  
unconscious he tied his prisoner and hefted him onto a tree. The  
pressure points he had used to paralyze the boy's voluntary muscles  
would wear off in a few hours and he hoped to have finished his job by  
then.  
  
He reconnoitered around the destroyed outpost and saw  
several hundred Phoenix soldiers resting at different points around the  
outpost. He noted their positions and made his way to the area from  
where the Amazons would most likely attack.  
  
What he saw made his blood run cold with fury. Throughout  
the terrain were crosses onto which the beheaded bodies of the Amazon  
defenders had been mounted. That fact by itself was not sickening. What  
was sickening was that several Phoenix were playing some kind of game  
with one of the heads kicking it hither and thither. He masked his  
anger and left to retrieve his prisoner. The boy would provide all  
information that he knew about Phoenix troop movements and all that.  
The elders would see to that.  
  
His mission done he made his way to the Amazon village as  
fast as he could.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Ranma stood infront of the captured Phoenix. The boy had  
come to his senses halfway through the return trip and had struggled.  
Not wanting to be slowed down Ranma had again rendered him unconscious  
and had reached the village.  
  
The elders had decided that Ranma would have a  
psychological advantage over the prisoner and had entrusted him with  
the not so pleasant job of interrogation. By his side stood two vases  
and a dozen torture instruments. Behind the prisoner sat the elders  
presiding over the interrogation. They would communicate with him  
through hand signals in the dim light. The windows of the room, which  
had not so long ago delivered Higashi into the world had been barred  
and was lit by only a few animal fat lamps.  
  
Ranma had protested upon being entrusted the distasteful  
task. He was a warrior, not a sadist. He took a deep breath and sat  
himself infront of the boy. The boy looked defiantly at him through his  
horror filled eyes. He knew what was about to happen to him.  
  
Ranma gritted his teeth. No matter how much he hated what  
he had to do, it had to be done if innocent lives were to be saved. As  
much as, he hated killing someone he would gladly do it if many may  
live because of it.  
  
With a emotionless gaze, Ranma asked the first question.  
"What is your name and rank?"  
  
The question was highly irrelevant, but the way the boy  
answered the question would indicate his attitude towards the  
interrogation.  
  
The boy kept quiet. Ranma almost frowned. There was nothing  
they could gain from learning his name and position. *Young and  
foolish.*  
  
"Listen very carefully. You have been captured and is now a  
prisoner of the Joketsuzoku Amazons." The boys eyes widened. Since when  
did the Amazons began using men in important roles. "I am going to ask  
you some questions and you will answer them. If you don't you will be  
tortured until you answer."  
  
The boy spat at Ranma's face. Ranma swiped away the spit  
from his face and allowed himself to frown.  
  
"This is going to be painful."  
  
Ranma bent forward and pressed a hidden pressure point in  
the boys chest. *That will increase his sensitivity to pain.*  
  
Without blinking Ranma took some chilli powder and rubbed  
it against the boys wrists. The skin had been scraped there and the boy  
screamed in agony. Taking a thorn Ranma rubbed it with chilli and then  
inserted the thorn inside the boys forefinger. He left it there and  
looked at his charge.  
  
"Tell me what is your name and rank?" The voice was devoid  
of emotions. It might have as well come from a dead body. This time the  
boy complied.  
  
The session continued on. Screams punctuated the calm air  
in the village with growing frequency as question after question was  
asked and answered.  
  
"Tell me how many soldiers are there in you army?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"I repeat tell me how many soldiers are there in your  
army?"  
  
Silence.  
  
Ranma called upon one of his assistants and together they  
laid the boy on the floor. A gag was inserted into his mouth and  
watered was poured over it. This went on until the boy nearly  
suffocated.  
  
"I repeat, tell me how many soldiers are there in your  
army?"  
  
The boy replied.  
  
The next question was put before him and the torture  
session continued.  
  
"Tell me when and where your army plans to attack?" The  
question was pointless as the soldier wouldnot have known the plans for  
the attacks. The elders were rather insistent with their hand signals  
that they ask and Ranma had complied with their request.  
  
The boy did not reply. It seemed that he would break down  
whenever he was tortured but defiance would creep into his soul when it  
was stopped.  
  
Ranma sighed. He hated what he was about to do. He pressed  
a combination of pressure points and waited for a full minute. The  
combination was a forbidden technique among the Amazons and only four  
in the village knew it at any time. The combination made the victim  
extremely susceptible to suggestions.  
  
"Listen to me very carefully. You see that flame over  
there?" Ranma pointed to a lamp mounted on the wall. The boy nodded. He  
could see it though his eyes were almost swollen shut from the many  
punches he had suffered.  
  
"Good, that flame is a huge fire. You are very near to it.  
You could feel the heat and it is barely bearable." The boy moved as  
far as he could in his chair. "Now, the flame is growing and the heat  
is becoming more intense. It licks your fingers and scorches it. The  
pain is unbearable."  
  
The boy screamed louder than he had ever before and the  
skin in his arms boiled and blackened.  
  
"I can put that fire out for you. Do you want me to put it  
out for you?"  
  
The boy nodded and continued to scream.  
  
"I will put it out for you if you will tell me when and  
where the Phoenix army plans to attack!"  
  
The screaming ceased. "On the night with the full moon. I  
don't know where."  
  
"Good. See that fire. It's just a little flame. I put it  
out for you."  
  
The boy almost sighed in relief. Ranma shook his head. The  
second combination he had used was irreversible and the boy would be  
susceptible to suggestions throughout his life. It would be better if  
he ended it now.  
  
He looked at the elders. They motioned him to carry it out.  
The boy maybe an enemy but none deserved such a life.  
  
Ranma nodded. He took out his knife and the boys eyes  
glistened with gratitude. The pain he was in made death seem like a  
wonderful alternative to living. The knife touched the boys neck and  
pressed on. The soft brown skin split under the cold, hard knife-edge  
and blood seeped through. The knife continued on until the jugular was  
severed.  
  
Without so much as a gasp the boys eyes glazed over and he  
left this world.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Based on information gathered from the now dead Phoenix  
warrior an ambush was planned. The Phoenix had planned to travel by  
land as that would reduce the risk of their detection at night. They  
would have to walk through a mile long canyon to reach their goal. It  
was here that the ambush was planned.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Li Chan walked at the head of the Phoenix forces. Behind  
him followed just over six thousand warriors, nearly two-thirds of the  
Phoenix army. Saffron himself followed at the rear of the army. With  
him were Pei Pei and Mascara the supreme generals of the Phoenix  
forces.  
  
His lordship, the emperor had realized his mistake when he  
had confronted the Amazons and their damned allies, the Musk a century  
before. Though their enemy's numbers were smaller than their own, the  
fools had won because of their martial art prowess. Thus, generation  
after generation of Phoenix had been dumped at night into the cursed  
springs away from the eyes of the accursed guardian of the pools. These  
cursed Phoenix warriors had set out to the outside world and had become  
formidable warriors with control over their chi.  
  
That is why a small party of two hundred had been able to  
easily overcome the fifty Amazons at the outpost. Their opponents too  
were fairly good chi users and they had fallen under the attack.  
  
Now the rest of the Amazon nation would fall under the  
might of the now powerful Phoenix army. He had wanted his forces to be  
the first to go into the Amazon village. As such he had volunteered his  
forces, the finest five hundred in the army and the emperor had  
accepted. After the Amazons had fallen the Musk would too and then the  
entire valley would be under their control.  
  
The army paused as the canyon loomed into view before them.  
The forces reassembled and stepped into the canyon. He could feel the  
other commanders carefully probing the canyon with their chi for signs  
of intruders. The techniques they were using were taxing and depleting  
on their ki reserves. They would have to rest a little boy when they  
emerged out of the canyon.  
  
At the very edge of his chi senses, he felt four large and  
unfocused ki flows, two on either side of the canyon. There was no  
emotion in them and the masters he had studied under had said that  
emotion was the only way of controlling and focusing ki. Since he was  
certain that the masters assumptions were true he relaxed and ordered  
his forces to march at full speed. He did not like the idea of being  
caught in a weak position. His forces were vulnerable to surprise  
attacks and he knew it. They maybe powerful warriors with phenomenal  
reserves of ki but they certainly couldn't sense arrows and such.  
  
The army marched at full speed and the ki flows followed  
them from the top of the canyon. Amazon spies, he guessed. As long as  
they did not leave for their village they would be tolerated. He walked  
back and consulted another commander and both agreed that nothing  
needed to be done until the spies tried to make a run for their  
village. That done he returned to his post.  
  
Soon the entire Phoenix army was within the canyon.  
  
*Just a few more minutes and we will be out of this hell  
hole.* Thought Li Chan. His eyes would make out the trees that stood  
several hundred meters from him. Suddenly his chi senses flared. There  
were a lot of ki being drawn on top of the canyon walls. His eyes  
widened in realization. They had made a bad mistake and were about to  
pay for it. He looked up and saw two bright balls of ki the size of a  
small rock glowing above. He turned towards the other side of the  
canyon wall and saw two more balls of ki being formed. How they focused  
their ki without their emotions was beyond his understanding.  
  
All around him, the men formed tight groups to repel  
attackers.  
  
His surprise grew as more ki signals propped out of nowhere  
all along the canyon walls. They had been led into a trap. He opened  
his mouth to give the order to his troops to take to the air. It was  
too late he realized as the four blazing balls of ki flew towards the  
largest concentrations of men. He was amazed at the power he would feel  
from those balls. With blinding flashes the four exploded on their mark  
and a few moments later bones and flesh rained all over the canyon. A  
thousand ki adepts he guessed. *A thousand dead in the first attack!  
His mind couldnot comprehend the tragedy. All over the canyon walls ki,  
balls began to flicker into existence and began to rain down on the  
Phoenix army. Hell broke loose.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Ranma had been surprised to sense fairly strong and focused  
ki signals emanating from the Phoenix army below when they had come  
into view. He had signaled as much to Xiao Lui. She had consulted with  
Liu Chi'n on the other side of the canyon through complex hand signals.  
They had decided to follow the original plan and whilst the others  
masked their ki, he, Xiao, Liu and master Yuan had all prepared a blast  
and stored the ki in the air around them.  
  
His surprise grew when he felt no less than twelve chi  
signals from the path below probing him. He had not been alarmed as  
much of the outside world had yet to learn that ki could be controlled  
without emotions. Sure enough, the Phoenix army had walked straight  
into the trap.  
  
They had waited until all the Phoenix were within the  
canyon. Not all of them could take into the air when they were attacked  
as the air would become congested and they would be massacred. Those  
who took to the air were in for a surprise. Behind him stood three  
hundred highly skilled archers and a similar number stood on the Musk  
side of the canyon.  
  
Then at Xiao's signal, all four of them unleashed their ki  
blasts at the largest concentrations of the Phoenix warriors. The  
others followed their example and unleashed their very own ki blasts  
into the canyon. For a whole minute huge explosions rocked the canyon  
drowning out the screams of the Phoenix who were wounded by the blasts.  
Xiao ordered the blasts to cease and the second round commenced.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Li Chan raised his head from the ground and with a shout  
threw off the caved in head that had come to rest before his face. Who  
would have thought that the Amazons wielded so much firepower. He now  
realized that his entire company would have been slaughtered in a  
matter of minutes if they had stepped into the Amazon village. *We  
never had a chance against them.* He realized. Then he felt it. More ki  
was being pumped into weapons for some purpose he would not guess at.  
  
There was the whoosh of an arrow shaft through the air.  
However, this arrow seemed to be alive.  
  
Bang!  
  
The chest of the man who had been hit by an arrow exploded.  
He closed in eyes just in time to stop of a piece of heart from hitting  
his eyes.  
  
*We have to get out of here or we are all dead.* He looked  
around and saw the horrified faces of the few dozen men who were still  
alive around him.  
  
"Take to the sky. We have to take the battle to the  
Amazons." He shouted as loud as he could. The others seemed to realize  
that their lives depended on it and took to the air where another  
volley of arrows assaulted them. This time the volley was not ki  
enhanced and those that survived the hit fell down to the grounds  
below. The horrible cries they made when they fell to their death  
sickened him. He looked about and estimated that around three thousand  
had survived the initial attack.  
  
With a cry, he dived into the ground below and into battle.  
The others followed behind him.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Ranma cracked his knuckles and ran towards the nearest  
Phoenix. He brought out his staff from beneath his robe and let his ki  
flow through it. He had learnt a technique called the hidden weapons,  
which allowed one to hide many things inside ones robe. The Phoenix  
soldier's eyes widened in shock when he saw Ranma pull a six-foot staff  
out of his robe.  
  
The soldier left his defenses wide open and Ranma beheaded  
him with a nice clean swipe of his staff. He was using the technique  
that master Yuan had taught him. His ki senses picked up three trying  
to outflank him. He pulled out shuriken from his robe, charged them  
with ki and let them fly at his opponents. The shurikens exploded on  
contact and the Phoenix fell with huge holes in their body.  
  
He sidestepped a spear thrust and let the Phoenix have it  
with a ki enhanced punch. The warriors facial structure collapsed under  
the force of the blow and he heard the bones break. Without so much a  
look he moved onto the nearest Phoenix and let him have it with a spin  
kick to his head. The man's neck snapped and he fell to the ground dead  
before he hit the ground.  
  
His rapid kills attracted even more Phoenix towards him.  
Ranma used his staff as a swatting instrument cleaving in half anyone  
who came near him.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
A few hundred feet from Ranma, Xiao Lui, three hundred-  
year-old matriarch of the Amazons danced through the Phoenix spears and  
swords as they were swung at her. She used her extensive knowledge of  
Shaitsu to paralyze opponents and then kill them.  
  
She jumped high over the Phoenix and from within her robes  
extracted shuriken. She let them fly at Amaguriken speed and many of  
her opponents fell their bodies mutilated beyond recognition. She  
landed softly on the ground behind her attackers and then ran forward  
to help an archer who seemed to be having a hard time with his  
attacker.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Liu Chi'n smiled to himself and let loose yet another ki  
charged vacuum blade at the Phoenix on the ground below. Bodies were  
cleaved in half as the blade passed through them as though they were  
butter. Then with a deafening explosion it blew several Phoenix to  
kingdom come.  
  
He landed onto the ground below and burst into a sprint  
with his hands blurring whenever he neared a Phoenix warrior. He smiled  
grimly to himself. From today on the Phoenix would cease to be a major  
power in the valley forever. He Liu Chi'n, emperor of the Phoenix would  
make sure of that.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Master Yuan used his superior speed to full advantage as he  
weaved through the Phoenix bringing death and destruction wherever he  
went. His hands and legs glowed white with ki as blow after blow rained  
upon his opponents. Blows strong enough to crush rock met soft flesh  
and the result was indescribable. The flesh turned into something the  
mush and his opponents fell unconscious and death soon laid its hold on  
them.  
  
He saw a Phoenix woman of high ranking and considerable  
skill mowing through the archers. Without the help of the archers the  
Phoenix would reign in the sky and would have a definite advantage.  
Realizing her plan he leapt towards her and blocked her killing blow to  
the man's neck with his staff.  
  
The archer retreated to the back where he could be of use  
and Yuan Puyi, warrior and advisor to the emperor of the Musk dynasty  
faced off against his opponent.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Pei Pei had realized that the archers must be dealt with if  
they were to have any hopes of winning the battle. She had ordered  
Mascara to take care of the Amazonian archers while she would take care  
of the Musk archers.  
  
The plan had gone wonderfully and the Musk archers found  
themselves confronted by a highly skilled chi adept. She began mowing  
through their ranks and was about to strike down her thirtieth victim  
when her sword was blocked by a wooden staff of all things.  
  
She looked at the man who had dared to get between her and  
her quarry and saw a four-foot high oldman. His ki was powerful and  
tightly focused.  
  
"Get out of my way oldman if you value your life." she  
warned.  
  
The oldman smiled and relaxed his stance. "Hmmm... Tightly  
focused ki, considerable skill in combat with some experience. Child,  
you are a hundred years too young to defeat me." he replied and smiled  
at her.  
  
Pei Pei lost her control at that instant. *How dare that  
insolent troll think that I cannot beat him?* "I, Pei Pei, commander in  
chief of the Phoenix army will have your head for your insolence,  
stupid old man." she shouted as she charged at him at her top speed.  
  
"Allow me to introduce myself then, Pei Pei, commander in  
chief of the Phoenix army," replied the old man mockingly. "I am Yuan  
Puyi, advisor to emperor Liu Chi'n of the Musk dynasty. I am here to  
kick your ass." The old man weaved in and out of her blows not caring  
to even block them.  
  
*He is teasing me.* She realized. "Argh! Fight me old man!"  
shouted Pei Pei as she pumped ki into her hands and feet.  
  
Yuan Puyi just shook his head. "I don't hit pregnant  
women." he replied.  
  
Pei Pei stopped in mid thrust. How had he known that she  
was pregnant?  
  
Yuan Puyi took that moment to strike at her sleep pressure  
point. He pressed another that prevented her from accessing her ki and  
then tied her up.  
  
"She wasn't much of a challenge." he grumbled as he rubbed  
his hands together. "Oh well! Back into the battle, I suppose."  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Mascara, found herself faced with an archer with  
considerable skill in Wu Shu. The woman just about weaved in and out of  
almost all her thrusts. Growing weary of her opponent Mascara enhanced  
her speed with her ki and thrust at her opponent. The sword buried  
itself into the chest of the opponent. The light in the woman's eyes  
faded and went out. Smiling at her latest victory, she was about to  
remove her sword when it broke with a clang into three separate pieces.  
  
She looked at the two-foot old woman who had just broken  
her family sword with her bare fists. "Curse you old woman. I am going  
to have your blood for breaking my family sword." spat Mascara.  
  
The old woman did not even reply. Instead she jumped  
forward and landed less than a foot away from Mascara.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Xiao Lui ran forward to help the archer. She knew that she  
would never reach her in time to save the archer's life. She would  
however personally see to it that her killer never saw the light of  
another day.  
  
The Phoenix woman sank her sword into the archers chest and  
was about to pull it out when she reached them. Grabbing hold of the  
sword with one hand she released her staff and struck at the sword with  
a ki enhanced blow. The sword split into three pieces under the force  
of the blow.  
  
Her opponents face became a mask of anger and a red aura  
blazed around her. "Curse you old woman. I am going to have your blood  
for breaking my family sword." the Phoenix spat.  
  
Not even bothering to reply Xiao Lui jumped into her  
opponents defenses and shouted "Kacchu Tenshin Amaguriken". Her fists  
briefly disappeared and the Phoenix flew some twenty yards before  
landing on her back.  
  
Mascara got up and spat blood. She summoned her aura again  
and formed a red ball of ki in her palms. "IKIDOORU RYUU" shouted  
Mascara and released her most powerful attack.  
  
Xiao Lui simply jumped over the blast. She landed on a tree  
branch, leapt from it and brought her ki-enhanced punch to bear on  
Mascara's head. Mascara tilted her head to the side and just escaped  
from being hit. However, she couldnot maneuver out of the follow-up ki-  
enhanced kick aimed at her skull and the blow connected with a  
resounding crack. Mascara's skull exploded under the force of the blow  
and her headless body fell lifeless to the ground.  
  
"Phoenix scum!" spat Xiao Lui as she turned her attention  
to the battle once more.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Most of the Amazons, Li chan found were more skilled than  
the commanders of the Phoenix army themselves. He thus chose to attack  
the archers as the archers were giving the Amazons a significant  
advantage over the Phoenix forces. With the archers around they,  
couldnot take to the air and this robbed them of their most important  
ace in the hole.  
  
He was busy fighting with two archers who in their  
desperation had ganged up on him. They were no match for him in any of  
the departments and he was about to slit one of their necks with his  
sword when his ki senses flared. He quickly slit the throat and took to  
the air.  
  
His opponent followed his every move and threw a vacuum  
powered blade at him. Li Chan tried to twist of the way and failed  
miserably. the blade cut through the base of his right wing and  
cauterized it. He fell down to the ground, his body making a dull thud  
as it made contact with the soft earth.  
  
Cursing to himself, Li Chan looked at his severed wing that  
had fallen near him. His adrenaline drove him now and he spat blood  
covered spit onto the ground and took his stance.  
  
Ranma stood watching as his opponent picked himself of the  
floor. Amazingly enough the man took a stance and glared hatefully at  
him.  
  
With a yell, the man threw himself at Ranma and his fists  
blurred as he tried to tag Ranma with a hit. The loss of his wing had  
played havoc with his balance and he struggled to maintain the balance  
so essential for winning a fight.  
  
As he staggered after one particularly strong swipe Ranma  
went into the offensive. Blocking a fist aimed at his solar plexus,  
Ranma grabbed it at just above the elbow with his other hand and  
twisted. The bones broke and Li Chan howled in pain. Without pausing  
Ranma raised his right hand and crushed his opponent's windpipe.  
  
Li Chan heard the sound of his windpipe being crushed and  
struggled to get a breath of fresh air into his lungs. Nothing happened  
and he felt the blackness of unconsciousness lay its hold on him.  
  
Ranma looked on at the death throes of the Phoenix warrior.  
It had become clear that the Phoenix were loosing horribly. As Victory  
was in their grasp now he paused to see the results of his handiwork.  
He made no efforts to help the Phoenix as the man grasped his neck with  
his working hand as he struggled to hold onto dear life. Ranma knew  
that he was dead and turned away from his as the sight became  
unbearable.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Saffron God-king of he Phoenix hovered in the air above the  
Amazons and fired his blasts indiscriminately. Amazon warrior and  
Phoenix fell to the heat from the resulting explosions if they were not  
blown apart outright from the explosions.  
  
An arrow embedded itself in his right wing and exploded.  
The explosion blew away a significant part of his wing but he remained  
hovering in the air. He let out a howl of fury and turned towards the  
source of the arrow. His wing healed itself as he turned. His fury grew  
rapidly as he saw Li Chin, the son of one of his concubines, in his  
death throes with an Amazon warrior looking on.  
  
The insult to his persona forgotten in the face of this new  
information, Saffron let his full power blossom into existence. He  
would wipe out the damned Amazons and their damned allied the Musk  
before this day was out for the crime committed against his son.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Ranma turned around when he sensed the huge power that  
emanated from the Phoenix he realized was Saffron. The Phoenix God  
looked just about ready to explode, his face a mask of indescribable  
fury.  
  
Ranma assumed a stance and curbed all controls on his aura.  
An aura of white bloomed around him and grew to about eight feet thick  
in all directions. His dress fluttered in the wind that came into  
existence around him.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Saffron saw the enormous amount of ki that surrounded the  
landling and realized that the battle would take a little while.  
  
"For killing my son in cold blood, I, Saffron, God-king of  
the Phoenix sentence you and your nation with its allies to death."  
boomed Saffron in a voice that was audible for miles around.  
  
Ranma simply stood there and shifted his legs. Then he  
burst into action and drew back his arms at hypersonic speeds. A five-  
foot long ki charged vacuum blade sped towards Saffron. Saffron did not  
even bother to move. He released two balls of fire and watched as the  
two met. There was a blinding explosion of light when the two blasts  
collided.  
  
Ranma leapt out of the way, as the second ball of fire tore  
into the ground. The blast left a huge crater and smoke and dust hung  
in the air. Ranma twisted in midair, bounced off a tree trunk and leapt  
high into the air towards Saffron.  
  
As he passed by the God, he swung back his legs and gave a  
kick to Saffron's chin that would have sent a ten ton rock into LEO.  
Saffron flew through the air and impacted with a huge boom into the  
canyon wall. The wall exploded on impact and huge cracks appeared. With  
a rumbling, noise the whole section of the wall collapsed onto the  
ground below.  
  
Ranma landed on the Musk side of the canyon and took to the  
air once again. He knew that Saffron couldnot be defeated by a single  
blow.  
  
The rocks down below began to glow red and then exploded  
outwards. When the dust cleared, in the middle stood Saffron looking  
none the worse form the damage he had sustained. The God took into the  
air again and Ranma met his charge head on. He slid under Saffron's  
talon swipe and kicked him in his guts. The air was knocked out of  
Saffron's chest and Ranma pressed his advantage. Closing in for the  
kill, he did a number on Saffron's thorax with a superfast Amaguriken.  
The punches were ki enhanced and Saffron's fire blinked out of  
existence for a moment before coming back.  
  
The wounded God fell to the ground below but righted  
himself halfway down. With a scream of righteous fury he powered up a  
huge fireball and threw it at Ranma. Ranma brought his shield up and  
tried to evade all the same. He was partially successful. the blast hit  
one side of his shield and exploded in a huge ball of plasma. Lightning  
from the clear blue skies above struck the expanding ball of highly  
ionized gas repeatedly before it flickered out of existence.  
  
When it did, Ranma stood in the middle with a sneer on his  
face. "Is that all you can do, O mighty God of the Phoenix?" taunted  
Ranma.  
  
Saffron's flames grew in intensity around him and Saffron  
howled before going berserk. Mindless with rage he tapped into the mana  
lines in the area and the flames increased several fold.  
  
Ranma did not even look intimidated as the God-king began  
to throw huge balls of fire at him. Running at his top speed, he evaded  
each and everyone of them and then replied with his own salvo of ki  
charged vacuum blades. Several hit the fireballs and lit up the evening  
sky in a dazzling display of light while one hit Saffron on his chest  
and exploded. Saffron staggered under the force of the explosion.  
  
Using the cover given to him by the explosions in the air,  
Ranma again leapt into the air and delivered a spin kick to Saffron's  
mid-section. Saffron returned the favour at the same instant and both  
the opponents flew away. Ranma hit the canyon wall below. The rock  
beneath exploded in protest and he shook his head to clear it.  
  
Saffron righted himself with his wings in mid-air and leapt  
for a showdown with Ranma. Ranma extricated himself from the rock and  
collecting his ki punched into the air towards Saffron and shouted  
"HIRYUU SHOTEN HA KAIHAN: KEN JOUKAI" a huge tornado blew into  
existence. The heat that Saffron had released during the course of the  
battle was absorbed and an inclined tornado headed towards Saffron. The  
tornado cut off Saffron's wings and when it died out, he fell down to  
the ground. This time however, Saffron's flames went out for several  
seconds before coming back on. Saffron got up unsteadily and shook his  
head. His wings grew back on their own accord and he flew up to meet  
Ranma's latest charge. Both let loose energy blasts which collided  
midway and exploded in a flash of light. Knowing that Ranma would try  
to use the blinding light and stage another attack Saffron shifted  
slightly and flew towards the explosion at even higher speed. Ranma  
emerged from the explosion and was promptly kicked into the hard canyon  
walls from behind.  
  
The canyon wall once again exploded on impact and before  
Ranma could reorient himself Saffron launched another attack. He  
shouted "MIZUCHOUSENZHANYOKU" and brought his wing together at high  
speed and infused the pressure wave that resulted with a huge amount of  
mana. The X-shaped wave of high-pressure, mana charged air headed  
towards Ranma and boom the entire section of the wall exploded in a  
huge explosion. The dirt settled and showed Ranma standing on top of a  
rock at the bottom of the canyon. There blood in his lips and he swiped  
it away. He staggered a little and coughed up some blood. Then he  
glared defiantly at Saffron.  
  
His aura had protected him from the explosion and had saved  
his life.  
  
Saffron looked at the landling who had proved to be quite a  
challenge and frowned. The wounds the landling had inflicted were quite  
powerful and he would lose if he let the battle rage on. He again  
tapped in to the mana flows and boosted his powers. He could also feel  
the landling tap into the ki flows. Saffron was awed by the landling.  
To stand alone against a God and give him a fair fight was beyond  
compare. None except the Ashura's could stand up against them and fight  
for this long.  
  
*Too bad you have to die landling.* Thought Saffron as he  
fired off his most powerful attack, a continuous beam of mana.  
  
Ranma felt the God powering for an attack ad drew all the  
ki he could into himself and brought forth his shields.  
  
He tensed as the God let loose what he realized was the  
God's final attack. *If I last out this attack then I will win.*  
thought Ranma as he began pumping all the ki he had drawn in and still  
some more into the shield.  
  
The beam of pure mana hit the shield with a huge boom and  
huge waves of plasma expanded outward from the point of collision. The  
interaction between the two energies created an extremely powerful  
tornado and rocks, several hundred feet long were picked up by the  
supersonic winds.  
  
Saffron forced himself to the brink as he channeled as much  
mana as he possibly could without destroying himself in the process.  
Even Gods have their limits. *I will not lose to a landling and a  
mortal.*  
  
Ranma felt the slightest increase in Saffron's beam but  
couldnot find the ki to counter it. Slowly but surely the shield began  
to buckle and when it was gone, altogether he would be vaporized, he  
realized. However, there was nothing he could do that would stop the  
beam in its tracks.  
  
*Wait a minute. There is something that I CAN do.* He  
realized. His thoughts drifted back to that day when Xiao Lui had  
taught him about mana and ki. 'Mana is like the Yin, it is dark,  
mysterious and not easily accessible. It is also vastly more powerful  
than ki if you learn how to use it.'  
  
He had been never been able to tap into mana but it was  
worth a try. The fate of his wife and child depended on him and he  
would not fail them. Ranma allowed himself to relax an looked into  
himself. He clearly saw in his mind the ki flowing through his body. He  
concentrated a little more.  
  
The shield diminished in strength. He looked into himself  
once again. There flowing side by side were two different veins of  
energy. One he recognized as his ki. The other was soft and yet strong  
in its own way. This was the power that he had felt inside the pit on  
the day when he had lost his father and gained another. He embraced it.  
The power that flowed through him was unbelievable. He felt it flowing  
everywhere just like ki. He concentrated some more and tapped into it.  
  
The shield that protected Ranma flickered out much to the  
horror of Xiao Lui, Liu Chi'n and Yuan Puyi. The rest of the Phoenix  
had been defeated and the Amazons and the Musk had been watching the  
fight between Ranma and Saffron with interest. Each prepared to fire ki  
bolts at Saffron.  
  
Saffron felt the shield weaken and then remain so for a  
couple of seconds before buckling completely. *Victory is mine.* He  
rejoiced. His celebration turned out to be a little too early as he  
felt the Shield come back up unbelievably more powerful than before.  
  
Liu had formed a sizable ki ball when he felt the shield  
come back up more powerful than ever before. He looked questioningly at  
the Amazon matriarch and his master but both were dancing around in  
each others arms in pure ecstasy in the midst of the chaos that the  
tornado was creating. He shook his head to rid it of the horrifying  
experience. The sight of a three hundred-year-old matriarch and his  
hundred-year old master necking was definitely the ugliest and most  
revolting sight in the universe. Then it dawned to him. Inorder to  
defeat Saffron, Ranma had become a true master of the art. The ki ball  
popped out of existence and he too began to dance. *My brother is a  
true master of the art.*  
  
Saffron felt fear seep into the core of his being. The  
landlings mastery of ki was commendable. Even the most powerful of the  
Ashura's wouldnot be able to last that long against his beam attack.  
Now, he had somehow mastered mana manipulation. *What is he? Is he a  
demon of some kind or is he a God?*  
  
The new shield grew in strength at an incredible rate and  
the tornado was simply absorbed by it. The winds became less powerful  
and finally went away. The beam of mana now had no effect at all  
against the shield as it was like throwing a pebble against a mountain.  
  
Ranma smiled at the newfound power. Saffron would never  
threaten the lives of Amazons and Musk alike. He concentrated and let  
loose a hybrid blast of energy, made of both ki and mana at Saffron.  
The blast shook the land in a cacophony boom and lit up the sky in a  
brilliant display of colours. Saffron's beam spluttered out of  
existence and the God fell down to the ground.  
  
Ranma released his shield and jumped to land on one of the  
rocks so that he may look at Saffron from above. The defeated God stood  
admist the ruins that the battle had wrought.  
  
"Saffron, you will never again threaten the Musk nor the  
Amazons for they are my family." shouted Ranma. His voice was amplified  
greatly by his aura that glowed yellow around him.  
  
Saffron looked at the face of his enemy. He, a God, had  
been defeated by a mere mortal and a landling at that. *No, I will  
fight on. I will not lose to a landling.* "I fight on, landling. I will  
not lose to the likes of you." shouted back Saffron in defiance.  
  
Ranma's expression darkened. "Then prepare to end this  
cycle of your life, Saffron." spat Ranma.  
  
Saffron glared defiantly and his flames fluttered into  
existence around him. His flames were the physical manifestation of his  
mana and it changed with each God varying according to their  
personalities. He was quick tempered and his flames reflected this  
character. He tapped into the mana around him, formed a powerful ball  
of fire and released it at Ranma.  
  
Ranma did not even move. Just before the ball made contact  
with his body he waved his hands and the mana in the ball dispersed.  
  
Ranma smiled evilly. "Now its my turn." Ranma concentrated  
and formed a wall of ki and mana and sent it towards Saffron. The wall  
of energy hit Saffron and threw him against the canyon wall. Then it  
slammed into him. Saffron found himself literally between a rock and a  
hard place.  
  
Saffron staggered to his feet and lost his balance. He got  
up again unsteadily.  
  
"It's over Saffron. Hurt my family ever again and I will  
kill you in such a way that you will stay dead and not be reborn."  
warned Ranma. "Oh! Did I not say that this is the end of your cycle.  
Goodbye. HIRYUU SHOTEN HA KAIHAN: GENKAN JOUKAI KIRITE" shouted Ranma  
and thrust his hand into the air at Saffron. A huge and extremely cold  
tornado howled into existence around Saffron. When it died down a few  
minutes later, the entire canyon was covered with a thick layer of ice  
and Saffron's body stood in the middle frozen solid at a relatively  
cool -153 degree centigrade. Ranma walked towards the God unharmed by  
the tornado and pushed Saffron's frozen form. The frozen body of the  
God shattered into many pieces as soon as it touched the ground.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Three years after Higashi's birth Xas Min became pregnant  
with their second child. There were certain complications and Xas Min  
had to stay in bed for the last five months of the pregnancy.  
  
Ranma walked back and forth in the same room once again.  
His wife was having their second child and as before he was having an  
attack of the nerves. The screams of pain were more soul wrenching than  
the first time and he had a hard time not running into the room.  
Higashi was asleep in a neighbors house and Xiao Lui sat on a chair in  
the corner.  
  
Pher Fom came out of the room several times during the  
course of the third hour and consulted with Xiao Lui. When he had asked  
the matriarch about the conversation, she had been evasive.  
  
Ranma paused as perhaps the weakest of the screams came  
from the room. The back of his neck tickled and he felt his wife's ki  
weakening. Sick realization came to him and he looked horror stricken  
towards tear-faced matriarch.  
  
"Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!" he shouted and collapsed to his  
knees clutching his chest in pain.  
  
"I am sorry Ranma." a voice said. He looked up and saw Pher  
Fom. She too had tears on her face.  
  
Ranma shook his head in denial. It couldn't be. She  
couldn't have left him without saying goodbye.  
  
"I am so sorry. There were complications and both your wife  
and your son are dead."  
  
He wished he died immediately but destiny had plans for him  
and wasn't about to let him out of its grasp. He couldnot think of a  
life without his beloved wife and yet here he was faced with exactly  
that life. He let out a gut wrenching, heartfelt scream.  
  
"It's going to be all right." It was Xiao Lui who had said  
those words. He turned towards her and glared.  
  
"No, it's not going to be all right. She's dead and I  
killed her." shouted Ranma and bounded off into the night.  
  
The trees blurred around him as he ran in to the forest,  
tears flowing freely. They glittered under the full moon that shone in  
the clear sky up above. *Why does this happen to me? Why do I lose the  
people I love most? Why... Why... Whyyyyyyyyyy?*  
  
He wandered for hours running from himself and reality  
through the forest. Finally, near dawn he came to rest at the glade in  
which he had first started training Xiao, Pher Fom and... later her.  
His aura flickered into existence and glowed green. The clearing lit up  
under the glow and took on a greenish tinge. The aura grew and grew as  
he continued to draw in the ki around himself. He lashed out his hands  
and a small of ki perhaps three centimeters in diameter formed between  
his outstretched palms. The aura around him diminished and the sphere's  
glow intensified. Soon, it was like looking at the sun. Trees thirty  
yards from him began to smoke and spontaneously combust. Winds buffeted  
his body as it rose several hundred yards into the air. With an  
agonized scream, he released the ki ball.  
  
The ball flew through the air and crashed into the land a  
hundred meters from the glade. As it approached the ground it cut a  
clean swath though it and tore up trees and rocks alike. With a whoosh,  
it impacted and all hell broke loose. There was a bright flash of light  
and the air was torn away from the impact sight. The blast expanded  
outwards and the hot air ignited trees as though they were fodder. An  
area shaped like a butterfly was completely obliterated and a huge  
crater lay near to one of its edges.  
  
Ranma glowed and became transparent before landing softly  
on the shattered landscape below. His body became opaque again. He fell  
down to his knees and cried his heart out.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
In the village, everyone woke up as they sensed a huge  
disturbance in the ki flows. Inside Pher Fom's house, Xiao Lui gazed  
strangely at the forest and told everyone to get down. She ran towards  
the neighbours house and carried Higashi to Pher Fom's house. Then she  
too lay over the now awake child and waited for the inevitable. It came  
with a blinding flash of light. the air was deadly silent for nearly  
twenty seconds. Then a boom, followed nearly a minute later by strong  
winds. The winds buffeted the village and then died down.  
  
She stood up and Pher Fom gathered little Higashi and  
cradled her. Xiao Lui shook her head in wonder.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Eleven days passed...  
  
Ranma broke down at the sight of his little Higashi or at  
anything, that reminded him of Xas Min. He barely slept and would  
wander aimlessly through the streets at night. He glowed green most of  
the time and almost everyone was afraid to go near him lest he blew up.  
  
On the twelfth day, Xiao Lui confronted him.  
  
"Ranma, you have to stop acting like this. Xas Min's death  
was unfortunate and we all mourn her passing. But life must go on."  
  
Ranma did not reply though his green glow began to  
intensify.  
  
"Stop this foolishness Ranma. You still have Higashi to  
live for." shouted the matriarch into Ranma's face.  
  
Ranma barely moved. "How can you say that? Am I foolish to  
mourn my wife's death? She is dead and gone and I did not get a chance  
to even say goodbye to her." The reply began as a whisper and gradually  
grew into a full-blown yell.  
  
Xiao Lui sighed. Why was so hard headed? Could he not see  
that they were also hurting? "Ranma..."  
  
He looked up.  
  
"Please Ranma, you have to let go of the past." pleaded the  
matriarch. It hurt her to see the child suffer by herself while her  
father was still alive.  
  
"I can't mother. I just can't." replied Ranma as quietly as  
he could.  
  
She found herself wanting to weep. "You have to, Ranma. For  
the sake of your child you must." The matriarch's voice broke several  
times during the speech.  
  
Ranma looked away. "You don't realize mother. Everytime I  
look at Higashi, my heart breaks. I was her husband. I was the one who  
was supposed to protect her from all danger. Yet I was the one who  
ended up killing her." he whispered. Tears flowing freely now. The  
macho I can take on the world persona had died when Xas Min had.  
  
"Ranma, you werenot responsible for her death. You couldnot  
have known that she would die at childbirth." replied the matriarch.  
  
"You don't get it mother. She did not want another child. I  
did. I pressured her for the second one and in the end I lost both her  
and my child."  
  
"Ranma, let it go or it will kill you and Higashi."  
  
Ranma looked at her when she mentioned Higashi. His face  
became emotionless. "I cannot let it go and I will not let anything  
harm my child," he paused, "Mother, I am leaving the village tomorrow.  
See to it that my child grows up just like her mother. I want you to  
make her the matriarch that her mother never wanted to be." The voice  
was entirely devoid of emotion. He stood up and walked away into the  
forest.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
That night...  
  
Ranma sat on a rock on the outskirts of the village. His  
face had a vacant expression and he stared aimlessly at the stars that  
lay across the clear sky above. There was a half-moon and soon he found  
himself staring at it. The air was bitterly cold but his training in  
the art had made his body resistant to huge variations in temperatures.  
  
There was the slightest rustle as pebbles on the ground  
behind him was disturbed. He tensed and probed the air around him with  
his ki. It was Xiao Lui.  
  
The matriarch poggoed onto the rock and sat by his side.  
Tracks of tears on her cheeks glittered under the reflected light from  
the half-moon. Like Ranma, she too had taken Xas Min's death badly. She  
maybe the matriarch of the village but nothing could stop her from  
mourning the death of her great great granddaughter. She tried to put  
on a normal face during the day but allowed herself to mourn at night.  
  
The two Amazons, one over three hundred years old and the  
other barely over thirty years sat together in utter silence. The  
chirping of a bird or the rustling of the leaves in the wind that blew  
softly were the only sounds in the air for the better part of an hour.  
  
"Mother!" Ranma whispered and broke the melancholic and  
introspective atmosphere. A wolf pack howled in the distance.  
  
Silence.  
  
Ranma waited for a whole minute before calling to the  
matriarch once again. "Mother!"  
  
"Yes, Ranma." It was clear from the tone of the matriarch's  
voice that she hadnot ceased crying.  
  
"I... I will be leaving tomorrow early in the morning.  
I...", he paused. "I will never again return to this village. It  
reminds me too much of her and the time I spent with her." he broke at  
the last part of the sentence and shuddered as he tried to control his  
sorrow. Tears flowed freely across his cheeks.  
  
Xiao Lui did not speak. She did not need to for Ranma  
needed but a listener.  
  
"I... I love Higashi very much. I want you to let her know  
that she had a father who loved her very much. You must raise her to  
become all that her mother was and more. I also want you to tell her  
that her father had died soon after her mother did." The words were  
barely a whisper. Yet, in the silent night air it was clearly audible.  
  
"Ranma, I..." began the matriarch but was cutoff.  
  
"Sshhh!" he said and laid a finger across her shriveled  
lips. "Mother, you have to do it for me. I do not want her to think  
that I was a coward eventhough I am."  
  
"You are not a coward, Ranma." replied Xiao Lui.  
  
Ranma laughed. It was a hollow laugh almost entirely devoid  
of emotion. What little emotion showed itself immediately disappeared  
and the laugh died as soon as it began. The cold emotionless mask  
reasserted itself. "I am abandoning my family and friends because they  
remind me too much of my dead wife! Do you not think that such an act  
shows cowardice on my part?"  
  
"Ranma, you are the bravest man I have ever laid my eyes  
upon. You faced a God without a trace of fear in your heart. Your  
actions had proved to the women in the village that men are not the  
weakling creatures that we thought they were. Because of you, relations  
between the Musk and the Amazons had improved dramatically. You have  
brought peace to our people and to all the others in the valley. No,  
Ranma, you are definitely not a coward." replied the matriarch in a  
tone that excluded all rebuttals.  
  
A look of surprise came to Ranma's face at this passionate  
speech. "Thank you, mother. I'd better go now and prepare for  
tomorrow." Ranma got up and prepared to leap of the Rock and onto the  
hard ground below.  
  
"Ranma, wait!"  
  
Ranma turned towards the matriarch and sat by her side  
again.  
  
"I spoke with the elders about your decision to leave the  
village and..." Xiao Lui paused.  
  
"And..."  
  
"They will not stop you though they say that you will  
always be an Amazon and that the village will be always open to you."  
Finished the matriarch.  
  
Ranma nodded. "Is that all mother?"  
  
Xiao nodded. "Yes, Ranma, that is all."  
  
"Goodnight mother!"  
  
"Goodnight Ranma!"  
  
Ranma hopped off the rock and walked slowly towards the  
village. Xiao Lui watched him until his outline disappeared and then  
went to her house.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
The next morning...  
  
Ranma lifted Higashi onto his shoulders and kissed her on  
her forehead and her cheeks. "Goodbye Higashichan." said Ranma to his  
daughter. He put her down on the ground below but seemed reluctant to  
let her go. He lifted her again and then kissed all over her face  
before handing her over to Pher Fom.  
  
He bid his farewells to the rest of his friends in the  
village and left without looking back. He had nothing but two pairs of  
clothes on him as he began his wanderings.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
For the next three years, he wandered across the mountains  
but his mind never ceased thinking about his beloved wife Xas Min. It  
was through sheer coincidence that he chanced upon a monastery while  
roaming across the mountains. He stayed there and helped the monks at  
the head monk's urging. A couple of years later, he himself became a  
monk in training at the monastery. His mastery of the art amazed  
everyone in the monastery and many asked him to train them in the art.  
He refused and politely turned down their offers. His wife's death had  
robbed him of his love for the art.  
  
Twenty years later he became a junior monk. His heart  
finally found its center and he found his interest in the art once  
again. He decided to leave the monastery as the world seemed to call to  
him and on the thirty-fifth year of his life in the monastery, he left  
the monks to begin his life anew as a wanderer. The life of a monk was  
definitely not, what he wanted out of his life.  
  
During his time at the monastery, he had mastered the monks  
version of the Wu Shu which was very powerful indeed. Far more so than  
the Amazonian version that a skilled novice in the monks techniques  
would be able to beat an experienced veteran if the battle was fought  
without ki attacks. Now, he wandered across mainland China learning  
different styles from their masters. Over the course of several decades  
he witnessed many styles disappear and he found himself the only  
surviving practitioner of many powerful and dangerous styles. As time  
passed his martial arts became an amalgam of all these styles and he  
became a true practitioner of 'Matsubeto Katuto Ryuu' the school of his  
origin.  
  
During the course of his studies he was drafted into the  
Emperor of China's troubleshooting force, er mercenaries. He served the  
emperors of the Han dynasty with zeal and soon found himself a wealthy  
man. He accumulated several tons of gold and thousands of karats of  
diamonds and other precious stones. He always carried all his  
belongings within his cloths by means of his 'Hidden weapons'  
technique. For five decades he performed his job troubleshooting in  
bandit infested areas. During this time, he brought hundreds of  
bandits, thieves and murderers to justice. He learnt everything he  
could about the healing and the fighting arts. He also learnt from the  
few magicians that he chanced upon.  
  
Finally, he grew tired of his life as a mercenary and thus  
left China. He crossed the mountains of Tibet and stepped onto India or  
Hindustan as it was called then.  
  
His thirst for travel and learning did not leave him and he  
found himself wandering across the country's huge expanse. He learnt  
from Indian masters techniques, that were on the verge of becoming  
extinct but were also the most powerful martial art forms he had ever  
seen. Though the masters of the art were few in India, they had in-  
depth knowledge of ki and mana manipulation techniques and he learned  
from them. He was astounded at their mastery of Shiastsu. It was such  
that they could do things that even the Amazons with their extensive  
knowledge of the style could only dream about.  
  
He loved the country in which martial arts was born and  
spread to the rest of the world. His accumulated wealth grew through  
his travels throughout India. During his six centuries of stay, he  
witnessed the 'golden period' under the Gupta's and then their  
subsequent fall. He witnessed the destruction of their cities and the  
massacre of innocent civilians by the invaders as the wheels of time  
slowly turned on.  
  
When he left India he once again crossed the Himalayas and  
settled along the silk route. His stay lasted two hundred years and  
during those two hundred years he developed and perfected many new ki  
and mana attacks. He also traded in silk and his wealth multiplied  
manifold. It was in the middle of the ninth century AD that he grew  
bored of the silk trade and decided to visit the country of his birth.  
There he found the country under the rule of an emperor whose influence  
was declining by the day. He witnessed history as the feudal lords  
exerted their control the emperor and the country headed towards civil  
war. He wandered across the country for a century learning the arts  
from the masters there. He finally returned to China and commenced his  
wanderings once again.  
  
For the next five centuries, he perfected all he had  
learned and developed still more techniques. He shied away from human  
contact preferring the solitude of the forests to human company. When  
he had attained even greater levels of skill, he once again mingled  
with humans. He now followed the silk route and ended up in Europe. He  
stayed in one of the monasteries there though he hated the entire  
period of his stay. He wanted to improve his patience and what better  
way to do that than by leading the way of life he had come to hate  
most.  
  
In the beginning of the sixteenth century he left for the  
America's and stayed there until the end of the eighteenth century. He  
landed in England and invested heavily there. Having done so he  
returned to China to find its monarchy under decline and the country  
under siege by the European nations and the Americans.  
  
Disillusioned with the state of affairs there he made his  
way to Japan and again invested a considerable portion of his wealth in  
Japanese businesses. His eyes drifted to the western world once more  
and his investments in both the Americas and in Europe grew.  
  
Weary of the wars and petty feuds that plagued the western  
hemisphere he traveled to India and found the nation under bonds and  
the people a shadow of their former proud selves.  
  
Disgusted he retreated once more into the forests of India  
where he found peace and solitude. The peace was broken by the start of  
the second world war. He refused to take sides in the conflict, as he  
witnessed the cruel treatment of man and a general disregard for the  
lives of the civilians by both the sides. During these years, he  
wandered across the neutral countries until the war was brought to the  
end by an act that he considered the epitome of the cruel nature of  
war.  
  
After the war he again invested heavily in huge  
corporations in Japan and in the US and settled in rural Japan. Having  
seen most of the world more than once he decided to visit the Amazon  
village once more.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Present time...  
  
A lone pathway across the Bayankala mountain ranges in the  
Qinghai province of China...  
  
Ranma walked briskly whistling to himself. It had been over  
two thousand years since he had last been in the village and he  
couldnot wait to see the village again. For the past, thousand years he  
had been able to think of Xas Min without crying. He had prepared  
himself for the day when he would be able to visit the village without  
breaking down. Even now he knew in his heart that he hadnot gotten over  
her loss and probably never would. He had put off visiting the village  
for so long that visiting it had almost become an obsession for him.  
  
He recognized the familiar magic of the pools as he  
approached it. *Two thousand years have gone by and the pools are as  
strong as ever before.* However, something felt amiss. He walked into  
the valley and saw that all the pools were nearly dried up. He peered  
into one of the pools out of curiosity, to see how deep it was.  
  
"Mr. Customer, do not go near the cursed springs. You will  
be cursed if you fall in!" shouted someone. Ranma turned towards the  
sound and saw a potbellied man. *So, this man is the guide!  
  
The guide ran forward carefully placing his steps so that  
he may not accidentally fall into one of the springs. It had been a  
very bad month and he did not want it to get any worse. The customer  
must have been a very wise man because he retreated from the pools.  
  
"Mr. Customer, you should never go near the cursed pools.  
You would have turned into a mouse if you had fallen into that pool."  
  
Again, the customer showed his wisdom by listening to what  
he was saying, which in itself meant. Visitors to the pools seldom paid  
attention to what he had to say before they got cursed.  
  
"I was passing by the pools and I had heard of their  
powers. I wanted to know why the pools had dried up?" explained Ranma  
to the guide.  
  
"Mr. Customer, birdpeople from Phoenix mountain came here  
and drained the pools." replied the guide.  
  
Ranma became angry. "What? Why would they do that?" he  
shouted.  
  
*Why me? Do the kami hate me that much?* Thought the guide  
as the customer was obviously insane.  
  
Ranma waited for an answer but when no answer was  
forthcoming, he asked another question. The Amazons had learnt soon  
after the defeat of the Phoenix forces the reason for the Phoenix  
army's skill.  
  
"Did you not inform the Amazons?" he asked as calmly as he  
could given the circumstances.  
  
The guide nodded. "Yes, Mr. Customer, I have already  
informed the Amazons. I have also sent my daughter to get help from  
some of the cursed ones in Japan."  
  
Ranma stomped on the ground. "This is stupid. They haven't  
seen you and left for the Phoenix mountain, have they?"  
  
The guide nodded. Obviously, Mr. Customer was completely  
insane and it would be wise to answer all his questions.  
  
"When did they leave?"  
  
"About a day ago, they ought to have reached the mountain  
by now, Mr. Customer." replied the guide.  
  
Ranma was worried. They couldnot defeat the God. He,  
himself had been able to defeat the God-king only because he used his  
mana. *Have to reach them, before Saffron slaughters them all!  
  
Having decided on his course of action, Ranma focused his  
ki and flew in the direction of Phoenix mountain. The guide just  
shrugged and went to his hut. *Just my luck. Of all the accursed jobs  
in the world, I had to get this one.* He was especially getting tired  
of super powerful martial artists.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Ranma arrived at the mountain half an hour later. He  
entered the mountain and followed the sound of battle. Saffron's signal  
was weaker somehow and huge explosions were audible as he ran through  
the maze of tunnels that covered the inside of the mountain.  
  
Atlast he reached the battle scene. Glancing around, he saw  
the reason for Saffron's weak signature. Someone had disrupted his  
rebirth process and damaged the cocoon. Saffron seemed to be pretty mad  
and threw fireballs in all directions. His attention seemed to be  
focused on a brown haired boy who was taunting him. Blast after blast  
flew from Saffron's hands and exploded within the cavern. The boy would  
evade the blasts and then move in on Saffron. He would do a quick  
number on Saffron's person and then retreat out of the God's reach. The  
boys ki seemed familiar but he shrugged it off.  
  
Ranma smiled. *I needn't have worried. At this rate,  
Saffron would tire himself out before the end of the hour.* Ranma  
leaned on the rock and looked amusedly around. Whilst the brown haired  
boy took care of Saffron another boy with a yellow bandanna on his head  
was busy kicking Phoenix warrior ass. From the way this new boy  
shrugged of blows that would have done anyone in, Ranma realized that  
this boy knew the Bakusai Tenketsu. The boy was definitely not an  
Amazon and it was a surprise to him that the Amazons would teach the  
technique to an outsider.  
  
*A lot has changed since I left the village! Ranma  
shrugged. He would worry about those changes later. Now, he wanted to  
watch the brawl for that was what he considered the fight to be. He  
noticed a two-foot woman with reasonably focused ki mowing through the  
Phoenix line and leaving battered, bruised and generally unconscious  
warriors in her wake. *Must be the matriarch of the village. Hmmmm! Her  
ki seems similar... of course its my great great great something  
granddaughter. Hmmm! She and that brown haired boy have a lot of  
potential. Maybe I can train them both.* He resumed his scanning and  
sensed the signatures of two men - one greedy and the other emotional.  
Both were in their middle ages and both were not bad when it came to  
fighting. He also detected a faint ki signature of a girl who was  
dying. Her ki reserves, which were very small were the only thing  
sustaining the husk that had become her body.  
  
*This is as good a time as any to have a conversation with  
the matriarch. Let's see, she should be able to sense this.* Ranma  
probed the matriarch with one of the easiest ki probes that he  
remembered from his days at the village. The matriarch stopped in her  
tracks and nearly got cleaved in half by a high-pressure wave of air.  
She jumped over the attack just in time. She took care of her  
assailant, turned and looked at Ranma with a strange expression on her  
face.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Cologne, three hundred-year-old matriarch of the Amazons  
was having a jolly good time. The Phoenix warriors with their mediocre  
skill may as well have been totally unskilled to her. Even though all  
of them seemed to have some training in the art, their skills were far  
below her own. The fight was completely one-sided all around her as she  
ploughed through their ranks with the ferocity of a hurricane.  
  
She was about to launch her staff at an airborne Phoenix  
warrior who was preparing to deliver the pressure wave attack when she  
felt someone probing her. The technique used for the probe was of  
Amazonian origin. The user performed it flawlessly and skillfully.  
Whoever he was (she sensed his ki), he was very skilled to have  
mastered even that simple technique. The user was also a stranger. She  
had never sensed the user at the village or among the few Musk who had  
been taught the technique. She was shocked at the revelation that  
people other than the allies of the village knew of this technique. She  
stopped in her tracks and barely managed to save herself from the  
attack. She took care of the Phoenix warrior and leveled her gaze at  
the outsider who had mastered the technique.  
  
The user was a young man of about twenty. What was amazing  
about him was the fact that he was leaning against the rocky walls and  
looking at the fight between Ryuuken and Saffron. He had a recognizable  
smile upon his face, the same smile one had when they were having the  
time of their life. Cologne attempted to probe him with her ki but he  
momentarily turned his attention from the fight, smiled at her and  
blocked her attempts with one of the most advanced Musk techniques. *He  
knows Musk techniques too.* Thought the matriarch. The Musk generally  
did not teach their techniques to outsiders unlike the Amazons.  
  
Cologne retrieved her staff and moved towards the boy. His  
smile had increased and his attention was firmly focused on her.  
  
"Hello there, matriarch!" said the boy as she neared him.  
  
Cologne looked at him strangely. "Who are you?" she asked.  
the boys face struck a chord in her memory. However, she couldnot  
remember when or where she had definitely seen it before. *I know his  
face but from where.*  
  
The boy evaded the question. "Nice brawl you have going on  
here. By the looks of it you are winning." said he.  
  
Cologne smiled. "Can you tell me who are you and how do you  
know both Amazonian and Musk techniques?"  
  
The boy laughed. "I learned my Amazonian techniques from  
the matriarch of course. As for the Musk techniques, I learned them  
from the advisor to the Musk emperor."  
  
"Do not play with me child. I have been the matriarch for  
over a hundred years and I have never seen you before in all my three  
hundred years." replied the matriarch. She lied for it wouldnot do to  
accept that she had seen him before. Her body tensed and she pulled in  
her ki for a fight.  
  
"Hey, Will you stop that. I am not here to fight you."  
Ranma replied while waving his arms. He wanted her to know that she had  
misinterpreted the situation.  
  
"Then stop lying and start telling me the truth child."  
replied Cologne. Her gaze never wavered and she did not relax her  
guard. Her right foot was infront of her left one and she grasped her  
staff lightly. Her stance would enable her to easily shift into any of  
a number of offensive or defensive stances.  
  
Ranma shook his head. *Some things never change.* "Surely,  
matriarch, you must have seen me before since you appear to be a  
descendant of the dragon." he said referring to his title in the  
village.  
  
Cologne almost fell off her staff at the word. Only the  
Musk emperor and his council as well as the Amazonian elders knew of  
her families origin and ties with the dragon. "How did you know that?"  
The boy knew one of the most guarded secrets of the Amazons and she was  
going to find out the leaks and plug them. You just cannot have the  
truth about some of the legends getting around. If the communist  
government heard the truth about them then the Amazons would become the  
latest addition to the endangered species list.  
  
"Ah! Come-on now, do I have to spell everything out for  
you, matriarch or should I call you my great great granddaughter."  
replied Ranma.  
  
The images came flashing back to her. She remembered the  
day some fifty years ago when she had last seen the statue of the  
_dragon_ himself. The boy's face was hauntingly similar to the statue's  
and the dragon _was_ supposed to be an ageless immortal.  
  
*It couldn't be. Why would the dragon return now? The boy  
had obviously seen the statue with the help of his collaborator in the  
village and had undergone plastic surgery to fool the elders.* She  
concluded. Being a matriarch meant knowing about the outside world and  
she knew a lot about it. It was her job to keep the tribe's archives  
upto date with news of the outside world and did a pretty good job with  
some help from her contacts in the outside world. "You could have  
undergone facial reconstruction surgery to fool us." she replied.  
  
Ranma banged his head up the wall. The rock face developed  
cracks. "What would I have to do to convince you?" moaned Ranma.  
  
Cologne smiled. She had him now. He was obviously an  
impersonator and only the real dragon would be able to beat Saffron.  
"Why don't you defeat Saffron? If you can do it I will accept you as  
the dragon."  
  
Ranma groaned. "Anyone with skill can beat him now. Can't  
you see that his blasts are weak." He pointed to the latest blast. The  
whole area was charred and some parts of the mountain had melted under  
the heat.  
  
"Liar!" replied Cologne.  
  
"He's weak. Someone, presumably the boy who is fighting him  
now, must have disrupted the cycle. Saffron will probably die in a few  
days from now." said Ranma. He was getting annoyed at her refusal to  
believe him and his patience was wearing thin, his fifty years of  
patience training be damned.  
  
"Look, will you believe me if I stop the fight right now  
and make Saffron listen to me." If she did not believe him then he  
would have to return to Japan.  
  
Cologne nodded. Saffron couldnot be in cahoots with the  
boy. She was sure of it. What would a God gain by cheating them?  
  
Ranma turned towards the fight once more. The bandanna clad  
boy and the two middle-aged men were done with the Phoenix warriors and  
were standing at the sidelines near the girl's body. The girls body had  
been restored but she was going to die if something was not done to  
save her.  
  
Saffron was looking more steamed by the minute as the  
relentless taunting continued. *The boy definitely does not lack skills  
in that department! Ranma thought with a smile. Ranma had never seen  
Saffron so worked up. Even during their battle two thousand-year back  
the God had maintained his cool to a reasonable extent most of the  
time. Now he just about looked ready to explode and take the entire  
mountain and all those in it with him.  
  
Saffron howled in fury as he launched yet another huge ball  
of fire at the taunting martial artist. Ranma smiled and sent a ki  
charged vacuum blade at the fireball. The boy could have easily evaded  
the fireball but Ranma wanted to have Saffron's attention all to  
himself.  
  
The blade covered the distance between the fireball and  
itself in the wink of an eye and exploded. Saffron seemed to be in  
shock and the others turned towards Ranma and Cologne.  
  
"Hello, Saffron. Long time no see." shouted Ranma. His ki  
amplified his voice so that it was heard throughout the cavern.  
  
Saffron's expression turned deathly pale. He knew whose  
voice it was. He slowly turned towards Ranma and his expression  
deepened. He could never stand upto the landling in his weak condition.  
  
Ranma cleared his throat. "I remember saying that the  
Phoenix would never hurt Amazons ever again."  
  
Saffron landed on the ground and approached Ranma. He was  
trying to look as haughty and uncaring as possible. He was scared to  
death but he had to keep appearances for the sake of his image.  
  
"They disrupted my rebirth cycle and because of them my  
people will starve to death. I think that gives me the right to  
revenge." replied the God, growing more and more confident. He was  
right and the mortal dare not behave dishonourably though he did not  
know what he would do if the mortal did so.  
  
Ranma looked at the brown haired boy and his companions  
with an annoyed expression on his face. he  
asked. He remembered the guide telling him that these others were from  
Japan.  
  
The boy and his companion did not pay attention to him. The  
boy's friend with the yellow bandanna had a dark green aura of  
depression about him. He was mourning the girl's apparent death it  
seemed. One of the men was also weeping uncontrollably whilst the other  
two watched from the sidelines. Ranma turned to Saffron. "Wait, we will  
resume this conversation as soon as I have helped that girl."  
  
Ranma moved towards the bandanna boy and pressed a pressure  
point that dispersed his heavy chi into the air. Then he pressed  
another pressure point that made him unconscious. The other boy and the  
man with the mustache tried to protest but Cologne bade them to stop  
their interference. She was convinced of Ranma's identity after seeing  
Saffron's reaction in the middle of the fight.  
  
Ranma knelt by the girl and sensed her ki and mana lines.  
*A ki transfer should do the trick.* He decided. Cupping his hands over  
her chest, he began to gather a small amount of ki in his arms. The  
others watched in amazement as the ki flowed into her body from his  
hands. When the transfer was complete he pressed his hands over her  
chest and focused his ki once more. The girl was a tomboy and he had  
lost most of his nervousness around women during his stay at the  
village. Concentrating hard, he released the exact amount of ki needed  
to jump-start her heart. The girl's body shuddered. She moaned in a  
little voice and her hands began to move.  
  
Ranma got up and moved towards Saffron again. The man with  
the mustache prostrated himself on Ranma's legs and raved about his  
undying gratitude.  
  
"I apologize for their behaviour, Saffron." said Ranma.  
  
"Your apology will not say me people from starving to  
death." spat the God of the Phoenix.  
  
"All you had to do is ask the Amazons or the Musk for help  
and they would give it to you, wouldn't you matriarch?"  
  
Cologne nodded. "We have had a bountiful harvest but there  
won't be enough for the Phoenix to survive through the winter. But we  
will gladly share what we have with them."  
  
Saffron looked at the two-foot matriarch and scowled. "If  
the food won't last through the winter, what good will it be of to my  
people? They will still starve to death."  
  
Ranma looked at Saffron and then turned towards Cologne.  
"The surplus will be provided to the Phoenix as soon as possible,  
matriarch." He turned towards Saffron. "I will provide you with the  
rest. Give your shopping list to the matriarch here or any of the  
elders in the village and I will see to it that you get everything you  
asked for within three weeks."  
  
Saffron nodded.  
  
"Good. Nice seeing you after all these years, Saffron. Now,  
we have to go. Send your army's commander with the list to the  
village." said Ranma and motioned for the others to move out of the  
mountain.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Ryuuken Saotome was curious... no, curious did not even  
begin to describe what he was feeling now. Not only had the stranger  
come and stopped the fight but he had also gotten Saffron off their  
back. He had saved Akane's life and Ryuuken had seen the look on  
Saffron's face when the God-king had first seen the stranger. It was a  
look he recognized easily enough. He had seen the look quite a lot on  
his friend Ryouga's face. Ryouga would assume that 'I am so dead'  
expression just after something he did pissed his girlfriend royally.  
  
Thinking about the pig-headed moron, he turned around and  
looked for him. It wouldn't do for poor Ryouga's health to get lost  
while carrying Akane. The girl would probably bash his head right in  
with that stupid mallet of hers for getting them lost in China. Ryuuken  
shook his head. He would never understand women. The girl loved Ryouga  
and treated him like scum from the lowest pit of hell.  
  
He turned his eyes towards the stranger. The man was  
walking in the front talking quietly with Cologne. Ryuuken decided to  
have a talk with him and walked to the front. His moronic father and  
his friend would probably take care of Ryouga and Akane.  
  
spoke Ryuuken as he approached the stranger.  
  
Ranma turned around and acknowledged the greeting.   
  
asked Ryuuken. His brain  
failing make the obvious connection.  
  
Ranma shook his head. The boy was definitely lacking in the  
social department. replied he.  
  
Ranma had asked his great great granddaughter to not reveal  
his identity to none save the elders and the Musk emperor. Cologne had  
accepted and had made him upto date on the political situation in the  
valley of the cursed springs. Over the centuries, the relationship  
between the two tribes had improved and the Amazons had gotten along  
much better with the Musk. Even intertribal marriages between the two  
tribes had become common in the last thirty years. The two tribes had  
abandoned many of their idiosyncrasies such as the "beat 'em up to a  
pulp, if you wanna marry 'em" rule and "dump a pig into the spring of  
the drowned girl and get a woman free for life." The two tribes had  
become the strongest of allies through the centuries.  
  
Ryuuken kicked himself mentally for not having made  
the connection.   
  
Ranma's hand went to his pigtail. I am Ranma Qin. My  
friends just call me Ranma.  
  
replied Ryuuken, unsure as to how he should proceed  
with the conversation. Cologne excused herself and dropped to the back.  
  
said Ranma trying to keep the conversation going.  
  
  
  
This bit of information got Ranma's interest.   
  
Ryuuken nodded. I am also cursed. Stupid pops kicked me  
into the spring of the drowned wolf after he got cursed. said Ryuuken.  
  
replied Ranma. He did not know what to say  
about a moron who would kick his son into the pools of sorrow.   
  
  
  
Ranma nodded. A summary was enough as far as he was  
concerned. asked Ranma.  
  
  
  
Ranma was impressed. Most of the martial artists he had  
encountered in the last fifty of so years did not even have rudimentary  
control over their ki or chi. To know three techniques at such an young  
age showed the boys skill.  
  
Ryuuken  
said proud of his achievements.  
  
asked Ranma, his  
curiosity piqued.  
  
  
  
Ranma smiled. The Amazons had not taught the boy about ki.  
He too would have done exactly the same. The tribe's and the Musk's  
mastery of ki reigned supreme in the planet. There had been other  
techniques that he had learnt and that were superior to the Amazons and  
the Musk's mastery of ki. These techniques had all but died and he was  
the only user of many of them.   
  
Now Ryuuken was confused. If Cologne did not know  
chi attacks what were the Kacchu Tenshin Amaguriken and the rest  
called.  
  
asked Ranma.  
  
replied Ryuuken.  
  
  
  
Ryuuken shook his head. He had no idea where this  
conversation was leading.  
  
  
explained Ranma.  
  
All these attacks used the  
same energy source, so what's the big deal.  
  
asked Ranma.  
  
replied Ryuuken.  
  
  
  
asked  
Ryuuken. He had spent nearly a whole week coming up with the attack  
after Ryouga had easily beaten him in their usual sparring match with  
his Shi Shi Hokudan. It was the first technique he had created on his  
own and he did not want to give it up.  
  
replied  
Ranma.  
  
I must give it up then.  
  
  
  
Ryuuken thought for a while. He asked Ranma.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
I can give you advice on how to focus ki.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Ryouga Hibiki, the eternally lost boy, carried his precious  
Akane-chan in his arms. His life had been devoid of friends and family  
until he had met her five years ago. His family had the same  
directional difficulties as him and he scarcely saw his father or  
mother. In the last four years he had seen his father once and had  
never laid eyes on his mother. His directional sense had been the cause  
of many of his problems. The most important one being his trouble with  
bullies at school when he had been a pre-schooler. He had trained very  
hard to be able to defend himself and soon found himself one of the  
best in his generation.  
  
The worst effect of growing up without his family to  
support and to teach him in a hostile world had been on his psyche. His  
chronic depression had led to more than three suicide attempts (none  
knew about them of course) and he had a psychotic and a slightly  
sadistic streak in him. As a result, when he had broken the jaw of one  
of the bullies soon after he started taking classes in martial arts the  
bullies had decided to leave him alone. Moreover, he had enjoyed the  
sensations that he had felt on breaking the boy's jaw very much.  
  
Ryouga was rather proud of having broken the bully's jaw  
and he taken to his new found passion like fish to water. He had  
increased increased his training regimen and stretched his limits just  
a little day after day, week after week.  
  
He had been attending some school in Juuban when he had  
been twelve. During the lunch interval, he had went to the bathroom and  
got lost as usual. A month and a half later, he had somehow ended up in  
the hallways of Furinkan high where he met his beloved Akane. She had  
been the only one to show pity on him and he had fallen in love with  
her. Akane loved him too, but after she had discovered that he  
surpassed her in martial arts, she had become a _little_ violent. Now,  
whenever he did something wrong she would give him a blow on his head  
with that mallet of hers. After four years of beatings he still did not  
know what it was that he did wrong. Ryuu had been of great help when he  
had secretly taught him the Bakusai Tenketsu. He had become Ryuu's  
friend after the kid helped him out and he had discovered that the  
little kid was his equal in the arts. He would leave once or twice a  
month with the GPS that Nabiki had bought him (The commission he had  
given her had him bankrupt for a whole year.) and he would train in  
some new technique and try to beat Ryuu. Mr. Saotome also taught him  
and sparred with him daily. Therefore, his martial arts had not  
suffered because of his stay at the Tendo's.  
  
Akane did not beat him that often, he knew. It was only  
when she got jealous that she vent her frustrations and anger on him.  
As a result, he would get hit once or twice a month at the most. Then  
those damned Phoenix had come and had kidnapped her for a reason that  
only the kami knew. He had asked Ryuu's help and his friend had  
consented. They had come to China with Akane's and Ryuu's fathers and  
had tried to rescue Akane with the help of the Amazonian elder. Akane's  
body fluids had been drained by accident and though he had restored her  
body, her heart wouldn't resume beating. It was at that time that the  
stranger had come. He had caught a glimpse or two of the new arrival  
and had thought lillt of him until the man had made Saffron see sense  
and brought Akane back from the dead. *Who is that man?* Lost in his  
thoughts Ryouga shifted Akane's body in his arms and the inevitable  
happened. His arm found something soft and before he realized what it  
was, Akane woke up from her beauty sleep.  
  
He knew from experience that a cranky Akane meant a trip  
sooner than later via the infamous Akane express. Now, he had  
compounded his situation by grasping her breasts accidentally. In  
Akane's view that amounted to groping and groping was definitely a  
hentai act demanding a swift retribute with the mallet. Ryouga's nose  
began to bleed as his imagination took over and as his fate would have  
it, Akane saw that too.  
  
"Yeeewwww! Ryouga you pervert!" she shouted. She took his  
nosebleed as evidence that he had touched her 'there' with some  
perverted intention.  
  
His love for her be damned Ryouga let go of her and tried  
to run away. Unfortunately, his sense of direction made him step over  
Akane, who was rubbing her sore butt after hitting the dirt and he fell  
to the ground.  
  
"RYOUGA YOU STUPID JERKKKK!" she shouted as she raised her  
mallet to the heavens above.  
  
Wham! Bonk! Kaboom!  
  
The beating of the century went on infront of everyone.  
Ranma was shocked at the girls behaviour and Cologne fell down from her  
staff and rolled on the floor laughing hysterically.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Soun Tendo followed behind his daughter with his friend  
Genma Saotome. Their friendship was formed during the days of their  
training under the lecherous grandmaster of Matsubeto Katuto Ryuu, the  
infamous women's underwear thief, the one and only Happousai. Soon  
after their marriage they had been inebriated after several hours of  
drinking sake in the company of their master when they had made taken a  
vow. Soun had never been so squiffed in his entire life as he had been  
that day. They would unite the two schools together with their  
children's marriages, they had promised each other and they intended to  
keep it too.  
  
Several years after Genma took his son, Ranma on a training  
trip Genma came to the Tendo dojo one day. Soun's wife had died a month  
ago and Soun had been mourning the loss of his wife. He had abandoned  
his children in his despair and stayed in his room uncaring as to the  
affairs of the house. When Genma arrived with the news of Ranma's death  
Soun had sunk deeper into the pit of despair. Genma had stayed with him  
for two months and had brought him out of his despair with his jokes or  
so Genma believed. More than anything else Genma's mere presence had  
been the only thing that brought Soun out of the throes of despair.  
Genma had left after those two months and a letter had arrived from him  
telling him about Ryuuken Saotome.  
  
Soun had rejoiced at the news. He still kept that letter  
carefully tucked away in his room. Soun had stopped taking classes  
after all his students abandoned him. They refused to study under him  
and it had been his second daughter, Nabiki, who had kept the family  
about with her shady dealings. Soun's honour, as it was, found no wrong  
in that and Nabiki had grown and blossomed into a full-time mercenary.  
Even if his honour had found his daughter's behaviour wrong, he  
wouldnot, have done anything. He was afraid of her as it was. The girl  
even blackmailed her own father.  
  
His eldest daughter, Kasumi, was the one who had kept his  
family together and she had grown up to be a woman as kind and gentle  
as a soft breeze. Kasumi was one of the best cooks in the world and  
would one day become a wonderful mother and a loving wife.  
  
His youngest daughter, Akane, had been the youngest and  
most unprepared of his daughters when her mother had died. She had  
retreated into herself and the arts. Since none guided her in the art,  
she was shabby at best and horrendous at worst. Her temper tantrums  
were unbelievable in their intensity and she had become every bit the  
spoiled brat. He knew in the pits of his soul that he was responsible  
for his daughter's personality and therefore he tolerated it. He did  
not know what that Ryouga boy found in her but given his psychotic  
tendencies, he really did not want to know. He did not want to see his  
youngest daughter married to that freak but he couldnot find it in his  
heart and tell her to stop seeing him. The joy that reflected in her  
face when she was with him and when she thought none was looking  
ensured that things stayed the way they did.  
  
When his dear friend Genma arrived with his son in their  
cursed forms, he had fainted at first sight. Genma had been the first  
to transform and after restraining the wolf, he had commenced his  
woeful story of curses, hardship and magic. Soun's heart had been  
touched at the troubles and triumphs that the father and son had  
undergone. Finally, when the well-spun tale was finished Soun had  
poured hot water over the boy and had offered the naked boy the first  
two daughters to choose as his fiancee. The boy had beaten them up  
after he had gotten dressed and had proclaimed that he would choose his  
fiancee after he was eighteen and that too out of honour as he had no  
intention of marrying girls older than himself.  
  
He had sunk in to the deepest pits of depression when Akane  
had been kidnapped. Ryouga had shouted something about hell to pay and  
prepare to die or something in that context. He had not been listening  
to the psychotic freak and thus remembered little of his lamentations.  
Then the freak had gone and asked Ryuu for help. They did not know  
where Akane's kidnappers where and this put a huge dent in their plans  
for a rescue mission. Thankfully, the guide's daughter had arrived and  
after hearing about the Phoenix, they had all left for China. Ryuu had  
recruited an Amazon elder whose skills reminded them of their master.  
They had went to the mountain and found out that they were facing a God  
of all things.  
  
During the fight Akane had become a dried up mummy and they  
had given up all hope of seeing her alive when the stranger arrived and  
rescued her from the dead.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Genma walked by Soun's side with his usual greed and  
foolishness. Yes, Genma had changed some over the decade after he had  
lost his first born. The few things that he had learned after Ranma had  
presumably died were: a) Soun's wife had died. b) He had a second son  
and a stupid wife who believed every damned lie he said. c) do not mess  
around with the catfist. He had learned it from Ranma's presumed death,  
of course. d) Happousai never dies. His lecherous traits only increase  
at a rate that is directly proportional to the fourth power of his age.  
e) Never mess around with Amazons. It would result in a lot of pain. f)  
A healthy boy on the road meant a healthy diet as you can barter him  
for pickles, rice and whatnot. If you do not have a boy with you, you  
are not worth S*** in the eyes of the people you are planning to  
freeload on. i) His second born, Ryuu, had lost all respect for him. He  
had tried to gain his son's respect numerous times but he had failed  
miserably.  
  
After he had searched for Ranma, he had left for Tokyo with  
a heavy stomach and a not so heavy heart. While on his way to Juuban  
where his wife awaited him he stopped by his dear friends house. There  
he had found Soun in the midst of a terrible depression. Soun's wife  
had apparently died and he had stayed there for two months freeloading  
on Soun's meager financial savings. He had somehow gotten his friend  
out of the depression. He went home to find his wife with little  
Ryuuken Saotome in her hands. His joy had known no bounds and he had  
spun a really tale about monsters and such. He had told her about his  
valiant yet futile struggle to save their son. In addition, Nodoka had  
believed him. After all these years he still found it hard to believe  
that his wife was as dumb as a rock who lived in her own little world  
with her stupid and completely perverted notions of manhood.  
  
He had badly wanted to train Ryuuken and make him succeed  
where his first born had failed. He had easily persuaded Nodoka after  
he had given the customary 'it was a samurai wife's duty' speech. He  
had traveled throughout Japan using his innocent son as a bartering  
card and a handy fiancee. *Thank God, those fools who engaged their  
daughters to my son have not caught up with me. If they did, Ryuuken  
would skin me alive.*  
  
He still cursed the day that he had fallen into Jusenkyo.  
He did not give a damn about whatever happened to his son but he too  
had been cursed on that occasion. It was in anger more than anything  
else at the thought of his newfound curse and how his own son had  
caused it that he had kicked his son into one of the pools. The boy  
must have known the truth behind the kick at some unconscious level.  
His son had gotten angry, gone berserk and had tried to wring his  
throat out but the Amazons had arrived just in time.  
  
Their matriarch had insisted that the boy stay with them  
and he had attacked her thinking that she would be easy to beat. That  
had proved to be one of the worst mistakes of his life. She had given  
him a thorough beating and had done things that made the sadistic  
master look like a barbie doll with cute blonde hair. The pain he had  
endured while she was busy with him had made the master's tortures seem  
like the happiest moments of his life. He had spent the next one-month  
recovering from the incredible beating that he had received.  
  
He had wisely decided to stay out of their way for the next  
three years. When the three years were finished, he had returned to the  
village to claim his son from the Amazons. His son had become his equal  
in those three years and with their advanced techniques easily beat  
him. He had decided to teach his son the forbidden techniques to gain  
his son's respect. He had squandered the final opportunity to gain the  
boy's respect of course. The boy learned the techniques but now loathed  
him and took every opportunity to beat the stuffing out of him.  
  
He knew that he was not the greatest father in the world or  
even one of the bad ones. Infact he knew very well that he was probably  
the worst father in the world. In his mind, he had caused the death of  
his first born and then lied to his very own wife to save his ass.  
Father's did not get any worse then that. He only wished that things  
had gone differently though he knew in his mind that he would have done  
the same mistakes all over again if he got the chance to go into the  
past and change it, for such was his personality.  
  
When his friends youngest daughter, Akane had been  
kidnapped he had wanted no part in the rescue effort. He had come  
anyway as Soun was his only friend in the world and he did owe it to  
Soun. Also, he thought that it might be another chance to gain his  
son's respect, which it hadn't. Contrary to what people might think  
Genma did have a sense of honour though it was perverted beyond  
imagination. They had traveled to China after they had learnt the  
location of the kidnapper's kingdom. Only when the Amazon elder had  
joined them did he learn that they were about to face a God. His  
cowardice had got the better of him after that and he had plotted. He  
had thought that Soun would run off and he would use that as an excuse  
to run away himself but Soun had been hell bent on saving his daughter.  
During the fight he had taken care of the weakest of the Phoenix,  
fighters letting the others do all the hard work.  
  
Halfway into the fight, Akane had been changed into a  
living mummy and he had thought that she would die. A part of him had  
grieved for the child but another part of him was happy as they would  
not have to confront Saffron to save her. It was then that the strange  
yet somehow familiar boy had come and stopped the fight. He was  
grateful, for the kid had saved their lives. A part of him was even now  
telling him something that the pile of garbage he called his brain  
could not even comprehend.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
The group arrived at Jusenkyo the day after the battle with  
Saffron. It was time for them to bid their farewells to one another.  
  
"Cologne, you have great potential. I want to teach you  
some of the things that I had learned in my wanderings." said Ranma.  
Both of them stood under the shadows of a tree. It was midday and one  
wanted to avoid the sun as much possible, though the temperature beyond  
the shadows was tolerable.  
  
The matriarch looked at her ancestor from atop her staff  
and smiled. No matter how old you were, being praised always brought  
joy. "You have finally decided to return to the village after two  
thousand years?"  
  
Ranma shook his head. "No, seeing you has brought back the  
memories. I still cannot find the strength in my heart to enter the  
village. I thought that I was ready but it seems that I was wrong. I  
will visit the village someday in the future but for now I want you to  
come to Japan with me and learn from me there, great great  
granddaughter." said Ranma and smiled at the matriarch. They were alone  
and none was in hearing distance.  
  
Cologne found it amazing that he still loved his wife after  
she had been dead for more than two thousand years. "You still haven't  
forgotten her or stopped loving her, have you great grandfather?" It  
was more of a statement than of a question. She smiled at the  
grandfather part. It was nice to see someone who was her elder after  
nearly seven decades.  
  
Ranma returned the smile ruefully. He was never at ease  
when he discussed about his wife or about the time at the Amazon  
village. It brought too much memories to him.  
  
"Can I bring along my great great granddaughter, Shampoo  
along?" she asked.  
  
"I don't see why not. Is she any good at the arts?" he  
asked. He wanted to teach the Amazons some of the easier and less  
dangerous things that he had learnt.  
  
"She is good taking if you take into account the times in  
which she lives but she is not even a match for Ryuuken. That boy is  
the most skillful in this generation, I think!"  
  
Ranma nodded. *You can't have them all.* "Fine then. I will  
stay at the guides hut waiting for you and your granddaughter"  
  
Cologne left the pools and hurried towards the village. It  
wouldn't do to have her honourable ancestor waiting for long.  
  
Ranma returned to the guide's house and found Ryuuken and  
the others preparing to leave. Ryuuken walked upto Ranma.  
  
he said. His three years in the Amazon  
village had taught him some modesty.  
  
  
  
  
  
Ranma waited for three hours after Ryuuken and the others  
had gone. Cologne and Shampoo arrived and they began their journey to  
Tokyo.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
In Japan...  
  
Fuji or Fuji-san as it is respectfully called is a volcano  
of indescribable grace and beauty that evokes awe and wonder in the  
hearts of those who lay their eyes upon it. The mountain is located in  
the Honshu island in mainland Japan. To the vacationing tourist Fuji's  
beauty lies in its massive yet isolated elegance. Countless pictures  
have been drawn of this venerated mountain, which has come to symbolize  
Japan in so many ways.  
  
On the summit of Fuji are 'the eight petals of Fuji', the  
eight peaks that adorn the summit. Between these peaks lies the Nai-in,  
the sanctuary. Fuji is also thought to be the home of Amatersu Omikami,  
the Goddess of the Sun. It was true that the Kami herself resided in  
the mountain. Lines of mana from all over the world converged on the  
mountain. Though there were similar convergence sites in all the  
planets, this was the most powerful of them all.  
  
Fuji with all its beauty and glory hid a terrible secret.  
It's Nai-in was the doorway to a prison. A prison created by the Gods  
themselves to seal away an evil that threatened all of existence. The  
evil had been battering the door for countless millennia. Though the  
door had nearly broken on several occasions, it would mend itself as  
the force that had been applied was not enough to completely shatter  
it. The door had weakened through the millennia and now it was about to  
break releasing the ancient evil upon the world.  
  
The door was pushed slowly towards its breaking point and  
finally it broke and shattered. The Gods had known that this would  
happen and had created eight seals to give the world the time to  
prepare for this menace. Now with the doorway broken beyond repair the  
hordes of Ashura's rushed out into reality. Their leader a middle-aged  
man with a brownish complexion came out and was confronted by Amatersu  
Omikami.  
  
"You cannot kill me, God." said the man contemptuously.  
  
"That maybe so Raja Chola but one can always try." replied  
the kami glaring at him.  
  
Raja Chola laughed. "Begone God. I have better things to  
worry about."  
  
Amatersu did not move. "Be warned Raja Chola. do not harm  
the humans. If you do, you will be destroyed." she replied.  
  
"None can kill me. My boon will prevent them from killing  
me. Now move out of the way or should I kill you now?" warned the king  
of the Ashura's.  
  
Amatersu moved out of the way and retreated to her home.  
Some fights are won by not fighting them at all.  
  
Raja Chola watched her leave, his contempt for her kind  
showing clearly in his face for all his minions to see. He glanced  
towards the eight seals and shook his head. *Fools, do they think that  
they can stop me with these seals.* "Indra!" he shouted.  
  
The Ashura of that name appeared before him. "I can sense  
those sailor scouts. They are weak but they are a threat to the  
invasion. I want you to send two of your best warriors to kill them."  
His previous experience with the sailor scouts had made him wary of  
them and he wanted them out of the way as soon as possible. He would  
have sent more to take care of them but though the doorway had been  
broken, the tear was small allowing only one or two to pass through. It  
would remain that way as long as the seals were in place. When they  
broke, all his army would be free to invade the world and when they had  
destroyed it they would go after the Gods and he would have avenged  
dear Anita's death. Until then, he would send his best troops in little  
groups to take care of the scouts and other threats.  
  
Indra nodded. "Yes, My king. I will do as you please."  
  
Hell was about to break loose on the streets on Juuban...  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Author's rants:  
  
That's the end of the second chapter.  
  
The attacks used:  
  
Ikidooru Ryuu - Angry Gragon. A chi based attack which uses  
the users anger as a focus to channel ki.  
  
Hiryuu Shoten Ha Kaihan: Ken Joukai - Flying dragon ascend  
to heaven strike revision: Fist of Heaven. A variation of the normal  
Hiryuu Shoten Ha. It is a tornado punch.  
  
Hiryuu Shoten Ha Kaihan: Genkan Joukai Kirite - Flying  
dragon ascend to heaven strike revision: Heaven's doorway cleaver.  
  
I would like to take this free space and prostate myself  
infront of my pre-readers and grovel on the ground.  
  
The story is hosted at the following sites:  
1. Mine (http://samrtaleck.anifics.com)  
2. Lady cosmos (http://www.crosswinds.net/~ladycosmos/)  
3. Rakhal's Penultimate Ranma Fanfic index  
(http://www.rakhal.com/FFIndex/lstmain.html)  
4. FFML archives  
(http://miniarchive.dyndns.org:123/cgi-bin/MiniArchive.exe)  
5. Mediaminer fanfic archives (www.mediaminer.org/fanfic)  
  
I would like to take this oppurtunity to  
prostrate myself in front of my pre-readers. Thank you, guys! This  
couldn't have been possible without all of you:  
jakub [jpilecki@poczta.onet.pl]  
Kaz [kazblah945@aol.com]  
Madcat [madcat08@hotmail.com]  
Brain [bmccullough@nucles.com]  
James Merritt [j.merritt1@home.com]  
Philip Penty [plainswaker@hotmail.com]  
Nathan Shuker [rezantis@hotmail.com]  
Zero [shinzero@home.com]  
  
Hints for you readers from the author:  
  
Hint #1: Arun doesnot write to a schedule, he really has to  
spend a lot of time with his psychiatrist.  
  
Hint #2: (for those out standing critics out there[;)])Call  
Arun anything you want in your mail provided (though he won't) he has  
the right to call you by these same names. Arun appreciates  
constructive negative comments and he really loves the positive  
comments. Its the 'Go to hell you mother F***ing Freak of nature' and  
such that he hates. Please send me your negative comments though I  
would be most grateful if you would tone down the I hate you part a  
little. 


End file.
